Smashdown!
by Chuck Ring
Smashdown? Yep, that’s right. Right here in Edgewood Town. We’re talking about the SMASHDOWN of Mayor Stearley’s campaign promise of “open government.” We have suspected other incidents that “smack” of secret opinion gathering polls and what amounts to the crafting of policy by email and telephonic means; now we have at least one Edgewood Town Meeting Agenda that seems to intentionally create an agenda that makes it difficult for most citizens to participate in town government, not to mention those of us who happen to be older, infirm or otherwise put upon by having to remain into the late hours of the night. Remember, governing body members ran and were elected to attend meetings … citizens attend because they are interested in good and “open” government.
Here is a copy of the proposed agenda for Wednesday, August 6, 2008:
Edgewood Council Meeting 08/06/2008
Note that the public comment item is scheduled as item 17. This after it was originally set as item 18 as viewed last Friday, August 1, 2008. The purpose of a public comment item on a public agenda is to allow for ideas, general comments and a little tweaking of past and present ideas and suggestions. It does little to engender open government when those comments and ideas are locked out through the manipulation of an agenda. A justification or argument for such action on the part of the mayor just cannot exist in open government. An argument that public comment utilizes to much time cannot be used; especially since this mayor has seen fit to deviate from existing town policy of a two minute comment period per person. Those in attendance at some prior meetings will remember that some have been granted considerably more than two minutes when their opinion coincided with the wishes of the mayor and some councilors. Opinion on the streets and dirt roads of Edgewood Town is that this type of agenda serves to stifle input. Such action is in conflict with the mayor’s intended or pretended desire to have open government.
For the mayor to try to excuse this action by saying that the agenda is a preliminary agenda demonstrates that he has not given thought to those who see this agenda and do not see the final agenda and make their decision to attend and/or comment based on what they have seen with this agenda. It would be well for the town councilors to override this unilateral agenda and place the item toward the beginning of the agenda … better yet, why not set a time certain for this item on this next agenda and maintain such time as a constant for future meetings. The mayor may not be pleased that you’ve exercised your given authority, but the people will respect you in the morning.